Fighting Fire
by VanessaAnnex3
Summary: Troy and Gabriella are labeled as the king and queen of East High, yet they hate each other with a passion. What happens when one incident brings them together?
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated to High School Musical. All that is written is purely fictitious. _

_Summary: Troy and Gabriella are labeled as the king and queen of East High, yet they hate each other with a passion. What happens when one incident brings them together?_

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><p>In schools all over the country, whether it is elementary school or high school, there was always that one particular season that everyone waited for since the day they would actually start a new year of school. Summer break. It was three months of pure freedom to do whatever the hell you wanted to do, unlike the chosen few who were forced to work instead of party. It was the time of year where somebody would pass out in the middle of a strangers' yard, where a family would say goodbye to their high school graduate, or where summer love would ultimately blossom. The only thing that was horrible about it was having to wait at least 8 months for it to arrive.<p>

There was the numerous sounds of tapping pencils, feet, and whispers inside a small classroom that was covered wall to wall with renaissance paintings and masks. The classroom belonged to the drama teacher, Ms. Darbus. She was hated by almost half the student body, only because she was obsessed with the theater. The only people who didn't hate her were some teachers and the drama students.

The number one person who definitely hated her, not to mention had the hate reciprocated by Ms. Darbus, tapped his feet in a random beat as he stared at the clock above the teacher's "throne". It seemed to be moving as slow as a snail, yet there were only 3 minutes left until the official bell rang to begin summer break.

Troy Bolton was the king of East High. All the girls worshipped him and all the guys wanted to be him. He was the captain of the basketball team for three years in a row, being voted as MVP every season. He got all the girls with a snap of a finger. All he had to do was look their way and they were hooked. There was only one girl he didn't have hooked, but that was a different story.

He turned his head to the left side of the classroom, accidentally catching the eye of a certain brunette. She sneered at him and put up her middle finger automatically. He narrowed his eyes with a glare and turned back around to face the clock that continued to taunt him. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned his head to stare at his best friend.

He and Chad Danforth had met in preschool after being paired up for a coloring project. Ever since they shared a love for basketball, they had stayed best friends ever since. Chad let a grin slip. "You stoked for the party tonight?"

Troy high-fived him loudly, smirking. "You know it, dude."

"Mr. Bolton! I-"

Before Ms. Darbus had any chance to give punishment to Troy for interrupting her lecture, the bell finally rang. Papers flew in the air as people rose from their seat cheering and giving people hugs. A girl draped herself over Troy as he stood up. She whispered something in his ear then left with a smirk. Troy merely shook his head.

People assumed he had a player status. They would see a girl go to him in the hallways or at a party and believe that in at least 10 minutes, they would hook up. Of course, they were right. It's what Troy did. It's who Troy was. It's what made Troy Bolton.

He headed out to the hallway with Chad and Zeke Baylor, another member of the basketball team who happened to have a love for baking. Two girls joined the group. There was an African-American girl with short brown hair. Her name was Taylor McKessie. She was the girlfriend of Chad. They had met sophomore year and immediately fell for each other. The other girl was a sparkly blonde. Her name was Sharpay Evans and she was known as the richest girl in school. She wasn't very fond of Zeke at first, but she soon grew to love him as he continued to pursue her.

"Troy, you are coming to party tonight right?" asked Sharpay. She was the one holding the party.

"Have I ever missed one of your parties, Shar?" Troy tested, arching an eyebrow and smiling.

Sharpay shrugged with a smirk as she followed Zeke down the hallway, separating from the rest of the gang. "See you tonight!"

Troy stopped at his locker, rummaging through and throwing stuff away in the nearby trash can. He heard a slight thud as Chad and Taylor leaned against a pair of lockers near his own.

Suddenly, the air became tense. It was as if a chill took over the entire hallway. Hell, the entire school. Troy could feel it. He gripped his locker, not daring to close it to see who was nearby. He could hear her voice perfectly.

"Hey Taylor, Chad." He was aware she didn't acknowledge him.

"Hey, Gabriella." Taylor smiled at her best friend.

"Gabs, you coming to the party tonight?" asked Chad, placing an arm around her casually. Chad was like a brother to Gabriella. She could always talk to him about anything. Well, almost anything.

"I suppose I have no choice, do I?" Gabriella giggled.

Goosebumps ran over Troy's body at the sound of her giggle. He tried to shake them off, knowing they were completely unnecessary.

"Bolton."

He froze and closed his locker, sending a matching glare towards Gabriella. "Montez."

"So, I hear you're going to the party tonight." Troy crossed his arms over his chest, leaning a shoulder against the lockers. He held a slightly evil smirk.

Gabriella crossed her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes. "I hear you're going, too. Is that going to be a problem for you?"

"Well, I don't think people would enjoy having a crabby bitch at their party. Especially when it's your friend, Sharpay." Troy knew he was hitting something inside her.

"Oh, good one Bolton. Is that all you got for me?" challenged the feisty brunette. She took a step towards him.

"You're getting dangerously close to me, Montez. I always knew you wanted me." Troy watched her, looking her up and down.

"In your dreams." Gabriella gritted her teeth. "Unless you forgot. I have a boyfriend, you asshole."

Troy set his hands to the side and balled them into angry fists, having his knuckles crack at the action. "I don't give a fuck about your jackass boyfriend."

"Sure you don't." They were completely unaware of a small crowd watching their altercation. "You could've fooled me."

"And you could've fooled me, Montez." He got closer to her. "Do you still have that leash around your neck or have you finally let him stop pushing you around?"

Gabriella narrowed her eyes, knowing he hit a nerve that he was never allowed to hit. "You're such a fucking bastard," she whispered, adding rage to it.

"Did I hit another nerve, Miss Gabby?" teased Troy, smirking as he placed a hand on her arm.

"Bolton!"

The crowd parted to allow the co-captain of the basketball team to come through to face his mortal enemy of the entire high school. Jason Lewis looked at Gabriella then at Troy. He narrowed his eyes at the captain. "You trying to get with my girl?"

"Why would I want to get with someone like her…" He looked over at Gabriella then back at Jason. "…when I have so many other potentials lined up waiting for me?"

"They must be pretty desperate to settle for you." He looked Troy up and down then turned to Gabriella. "Did he touch you anywhere else?"

"No, he didn't." Gabriella sighed. "Can we just go?"

"Hey, you don't need to talk to me like that." Jason held her wrist, causing Taylor and Chad to look at each other with furrowed eyebrows.

Troy glared at Jason, moving his knuckles angrily. He hated this man with a passion. He thought he was better than him. He thought he could hit every angry nerve that Troy had. He was only mad that Troy got captain and he didn't. He was mad Troy got MVP every season and he didn't, no matter how hard he worked his sorry ass off. It wasn't enough. The better man always won.

Gabriella wriggled her wrist. "Jason, calm down. Let's just go and get ready for the party."

"I don't need my girlfriend telling me what to do," Jason said, rolling his eyes as he let go of her wrist.

The fighting couple seemed to be oblivious that there were still people around them. It always happened on a regular basis. They would fight over something so small. Sometimes it would annoy the other students while it would worry some of the teachers.

"I'm not trying to tell you what to do. Dammit Jason, I'm so sick of this." Gabriella furrowed her eyebrows angrily as her voice rose slightly.

"I won't have you speaking to me like the dick of East High over here," said Jason, pointing his thumb back at Troy.

Troy chuckled sarcastically. "Oh, that's original."

Jason turned to Troy, getting close to him threateningly. "You got something to say to me, Bolton?"

"No, it's entirely entertaining watching you and the bitch fight day after day. Where's the popcorn when you need it, huh?" Troy had hit a nerve. Jason gripped his shirt and collided him against the lockers.

"Jason, stop it!" Gabriella gripped the back of Jason's shirt, hearing it slightly rip.

Taylor grabbed Gabriella away from the altercation as Chad stepped in to separate the two. He pushed Jason away who immediately took a hold of Gabriella's hand and walked away from the scene. Troy stared after them and sneered, straightening his shirt out. "What a dick."

"I understand the situation between you and Jason, but I still don't understand why you and Gabriella have to argue every day," Chad said.

Troy shook his head, refusing to speak of it. It wasn't worth his breath. It never would be. It wasn't important anyway. Gabriella wouldn't speak of it either, though she more than likely had a different reason for her hatred towards him. Of course, he knew why.

"Let's just go to this damn party already. I've had enough of being in this hell hole."

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Thanks so much for taking the time to read this story! I've been trying to plan a story for this page for quite some time and I can honestly say that it feels good to get back into the rhythm of updating every week or so. This is the only story that will only be up until it ends. I want to keep things on the new page as clean and organized as possible. If you have any ideas for this story for future chapters, feel free to review and tell me your ideas. Freedom of speech! Thanks guys!


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated to High School Musical. All that is written is purely fictitious._

_Summary: Troy and Gabriella are labeled as the king and queen of East High, yet they hate each other with a passion. What happens when one incident brings them together?_

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><p>Being the queen of East High, as she was referred to by mean of her classmates, was as easy as pie. Most of the time, anyway. She couldn't understand why she was labeled as queen, though. She was just a girl-just somebody in the junior class. She always wore her hair in dark curls. She only preferred to wear mascara and blush. Her favorite clothing item was her torn jeans. She couldn't stand high heels. What was so special about her that people just had to make her "queen"?<p>

Some people only wanted to be her friend because she _was_ "queen". She could always tell who was her friend and who wasn't. She was glad she had some real friends, though. Of course, some were crazy but she wouldn't trade them for anybody else.

Then there was Jason. Her boyfriend of nearly a year. He was a junior, as well. He had black hair that had small spikes sticking up. His green eyes were entirely piercing, never changing. She wouldn't deny it, she loved him. But, things were always tough between them. Mainly because of Troy.

Gabriella, who was standing at the bar during Sharpay's party, rolled her eyes in disgust. "Ugh, Troy."

Troy Bolton was the one person that she could _not_ stand. She hated him so much; she wouldn't even spit in his direction. She knew he hated her, too. It's not like she cared, though.

"I don't care at all," mumbled Gabriella, twirling her tight straw around in her drink glass.

"Talking to yourself?" asked Sharpay, leaning against the counter in her tight blue dress.

Gabriella smiled at Sharpay. "Sorry. I just had a lot going on in my mind."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Gabriella shook her head without a word. "Well, why are you sitting here anyway? You should be dancing with your boyfriend." She paused. "Speaking of, where is your boyfriend?"

Gabriella shrugged, taking a sip of her drink. "I don't know. We didn't even come together."

"Why not? Boyfriends and girlfriends are supposed to come together to parties." Sharpay tapped the counter roughly, indicating that she wanted her usual drink.

Gabriella put a loose curl over her ear and sighed. She sat on the bar stool and turned to face the party. There were people dancing in different fashions, swapping drinks, and walking upstairs to do God knows what. She turned her head to the left and groaned in disgust, seeing her only enemy take a body shot from a girl's chest.

"Look at that." She gestured towards Troy inappropriate act, causing Sharpay to turn and look over. "How disgusting is he?"

"Oh, very." Sharpay's sarcasm was highly noted by Gabriella, who turned to her with furrowed eyebrows.

"You don't think Troy is the most disgusting and ridiculous human being on earth? I mean, come on!" Gabriella took a large sip of her drink.

"Gabby, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't speak about Troy like that. He's my friend, even if he isn't yours." Sharpay sat next to her on the bar stool with her drink.

"I just don't see how you can be friends with _Troy Bolton_." Gabriella curled up her lips in disgust.

"Talking about me Montez?"

Troy Bolton came in between the girls, causing Sharpay to leave and Gabriella to look at Troy with an icy glare. He had a nasty smirk on his face as he leaned against the counter. He looked Gabriella up and down then at her drink glass.

"You know it's illegal for little girls like you to drink liquor, right?" teased Troy.

"I don't give a fuck what you think," snapped Gabriella.

Troy put his hands up. "Easy there, Montez."

Gabriella groaned in frustration, getting off the bar stool and walking upstairs to the bathroom. She turned the knob and sighed when she found it to be locked. "Dammit."

"Gabriella."

She turned suddenly to see Jason looking at her with slight anger in his eyes. Confusion went through her as she furrowed her eyebrows. "What?"

"I saw you talking to Bolton. What was that all about?" asked Jason.

"Nothing. He came up to me." Gabriella shook her head.

"Bullshit." The confused brunette suddenly became shocked. "You're not supposed to talk to that asshole."

"Jason, I barely spoke to him. Calm down." Gabriella walked down the hallway, hearing Jason's footsteps behind her.

"Don't you walk away from me," demanded Jason. He pushed people out of his way, getting faster than she was. He caught up with his girlfriend and caged her against the stairway railing.

Gabriella looked at Jason, slightly terrified. "What are you doing?"

"Making you understand where your place is." He got closer to her, having her grip the railing herself so she wouldn't fall over.

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><p>Sharpay came up to Troy, who was eying a perky blonde on the other side of the bar. She turned his shoulder, causing irritation to cross his face. "What?"<p>

"Have you seen Gabriella?" asked Sharpay.

Troy scoffed. "Why in the hell should I care where she went? For everybody's sake, I hope she finally left."

Sharpay slightly pushed Troy's shoulder. "Don't talk about her like that. She's my friend."

"Look, I'm sure she's somewhere. Now, I'm trying to hook up." Troy watched her leave in frustration, his eyes wandering up to the staircase. He saw the signature curls of Gabriella's hair and her hands gripping the railing tightly. She was alone and still.

For a second, concern ran through his system but it soon went away. Why in the world she he care about her? He had better things to do as he finally grabbed the attention of the blonde and walked around the bar towards her. If he had stayed a second longer, he would have seen Gabriella grab an entire bottle of vodka and rush away.

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><p>As the party ended that night, people walked out the house or either stayed upstairs in the bedrooms if they had done any activities. Sharpay was well asleep by then, though. There was trash everywhere on the lawn and inside the house. Beer bottles were scattered around, plastic cups were lying haphazardly, and other trash you could think of was among the rest.<p>

Gabriella was walking on the sidewalk slowly, holding a vodka bottle. She stopped when she noticed the bottle was empty. She attempted to throw it away, but ended up throwing herself to the ground. She was utterly drunk and anybody could tell. She felt dizzy as she rested her head on her arms.

Soon, everything went black.

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><p>Troy Bolton was walking on the sidewalk towards his house, feeling quite satisfied with himself. He had to have slept with at least 5 girls that night. They weren't that great, but he accepted it. He honestly didn't care what people thought of him. It was just what he did. He never fell in love. Falling in love was just a waste of time.<p>

He noticed somebody lying on the ground. Curiosity got the best of him so he stopped and peered down at the person. It was a girl. He bent down and gently brushed her hair away from her face. He jumped back, shocked and sort of disgusted.

It was Gabriella.

What was he supposed to do? He bent back down cautiously and shook her a bit. "Montez, get up." She didn't move. He looked her over. Again, curiosity got the best of him as he noticed a mark on her wrist. He looked closer and saw they were bruises. They looked like marks that fingers would leave.

Dropping that from his mind, he looked her over again. He couldn't just leave her lying here all night, no matter how much he hated her.

"I'm so going to regret this," grumbled Troy.

He picked her up bridal style and attempted to carry her towards her house. He was surprised he remembered the way to house ever since it had been at least a year since he was there. In fact, it was only five houses away from his own.

He noticed a light was on in the house and before he reached the door, it flew open to reveal Ms. Montez. She looked quite shocked to see Troy carrying Gabriella.

"Oh my God, what happened?" asked Ms. Montez, worried.

Troy looked at Gabriella, seeing her sound asleep. "My guess is she drank too much at the party."

"Drinking?" Ms. Montez muttered something in Spanish while she followed Troy into the house. "Just leave her on the couch to sleep."

Troy laid Gabriella on the couch and glanced over at the throw blanket that was hanging around it. He put it over her body and saw her snuggle into it. She looked kind of cute when she was asleep, yet hung over.

_Shut up, Troy. What the hell are you thinking? It's Montez. _

"Thank you for bringing her home, Troy." Ms. Montez crossed her arms.

Troy shrugged, not saying a word. He rubbed the back of his neck, a habit he did when he felt awkward or nervous. "I guess I should go. It's late."

Ms. Montez followed Troy to the door and opened it for him. She stopped him as he stood outside on the step. "Troy, it's really nice to see you again. It's a shame you haven't been over. I haven't made brownies since the last time you were here."

Troy didn't know what to say so he nodded and simply left. As he was walking down the sidewalk, he kept thinking in his head about the last time he was actually _really _inside the house.

"_I never want to see you, talk you, or even have you in this house again."_

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>I hope you guys enjoyed the second chapter. This a little bit of a filler chapter, but it also reveals a bit more of the characters and some situations. As you can tell, there is a flashback line in the end of _why _Troy and Gabriella stopped talking. The entire situation will be revealed in a later chapter. If you have questions, feel free to ask. Review!


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated to High School Musical. All that is written is purely fictitious. _

_Summary: Troy and Gabriella are labeled as the king and queen of East High, yet they hate each other with a passion. What happens when one incident brings them together?_

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><p>Gabriella awoke the next morning with the most splitting headache of her life. It felt like an elephant was bouncing up and down on her head. She kept her eyes shut as she rubbed her forehead with her hand. What had happened last night? She could barely remember a thing. The only thing she could remember vaguely was fighting with Jason. Then it was all blank.<p>

"You're up."

She opened one eye to find her mother standing in front of the living room entrance with a robe on and a coffee mug in her hand. She didn't look too happy. But why? And why was Gabriella in the living room in the first place?

"What time is it?" asked Gabriella groggily, carefully sitting up and wincing at the pain of her headache.

"Almost 10 in the morning." She paused. "You came home passed out and drunk last night."

Gabriella tried to remember last night's events, but couldn't. "I did? Wait, how did I get home if I was passed out?" Had Sharpay brought her home?

"Troy was carrying you the entire time and he put you to bed on the couch."

Now it felt like a truck slammed into her. Not her head, but her entire body. Troy had carried her home? _Troy _had _carried _her home?

"It was quite a surprise to find Troy carrying my _drunken_ daughter home." Now her mother looked mad. "What the hell were you thinking? You're only 17 years old!"

Gabriella winced, only because her mother was yelling at the level of a spaceship taking off. "Mom, please."

Her mother began yelling at her in Spanish, though Gabriella was more focused on the fact that Troy-the person she couldn't _stand_-had carried her home. She wondered if she had said anything embarrassing. Not that she had anything embarrassing to say to him.

But, what if she had revealed way too much in her drunken, passed out state?

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><p>Troy dribbled his basketball on the outdoor court in his backyard, making the perfect shot that ended with a <em>swish! <em>sound. He ran to get the basketball, but it stopped at somebody's feet. And, they were somebody's feet that he never wanted on his property.

Gabriella, dressed in a simple t-shirt and shorts now, had her arms crossed over her chest as she continuously bit her bottom lip out of annoyance. Her mother had ordered her to visit Troy and to thank him for bringing her home safely. Though, it was going to take a lot to get those words out of her mouth.

"What the hell are you doing here, Montez?" demanded Troy, sneering at the sight of her.

Gabriella stayed in her spot. "My mom said I should _thank you_ for bringing me home last night. So…thanks."

"Whatever. Don't expect it to happen again," said Troy, turning his back on her.

"Like I'd want you to put your hands on me again, asshole. I can't believe you'd even do that." Gabriella paused, not thinking before she spoke. "Why did you do it, anyway?"

Troy turned around, furrowing his eyebrows. "Do what?"

Gabriella sighed, exasperated. "Why did you fucking carry me back to my house?"

Troy shrugged. "I don't know. I saw you lying on the ground-"

"So why didn't you just leave me lying on the ground? I'm sure that's exactly what you want, right?" pushed Gabriella.

"I may hate you, but I wasn't going to leave you on the ground like trash. You were knocked out." He paused. "But, maybe I will next time."

Gabriella thought she felt pain course through her veins, but she ignored it as she squinted her eyes at him angrily. "Fuck you."

Troy watched her leave angrily, before turning his back and tossing the basketball hard against the fence. He knew that last night was one big mistake. He was right. He _should've _left her on the ground like trash.

But, the back of his head told him that's not what he wanted for her.

He wouldn't want that for her in a million years.

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><p>"Wait, he <em>carried <em>you?" asked Sharpay, lifting up her sunglasses and cocking up one eyebrow.

Gabriella, Taylor, and Sharpay were all hanging out at the Evans' pool. They were laid out on the chairs in their bathing suits, working on their tans. Gabriella had just told Sharpay and Taylor what she found out this morning.

"Sharpay, how drunk was I last night?" asked Gabriella, looking over at her.

Sharpay shrugged. "I don't know, Gabby. I barely saw you last night except for that one time. But, you had barely touched your drink."

"Taylor, were you with me?" She sighed when she shook her head.

"Do you remember anything from last night?" asked Taylor.

Gabriella sighed once again, sitting up in her chair. "The only thing I remember is fighting with Jason."

"Again?" Both girls spoke simultaneously.

"You know we always fight," said Gabriella. She shrugged as if it was no big deal.

"That's not healthy, Gabby. Why don't you just leave him?" asked Sharpay.

Gabriella was going to be honest. She _had _thought of leaving him a couple of times. She just never had the courage to do so. She didn't want to know what would happen if she did leave him. Jason had a temper. She didn't like to see his temper. So, she didn't want to risk seeing it if she left him.

They were interrupted by the sound of calls at the gate. Sharpay turned her head and waved at the guys. Zeke and Chad ran through the yard in the swim trunks, greeting their girlfriends with a perspective kiss. Gabriella turned and groaned when she spotted the familiar hair of Troy over the fence. She grabbed her towel and got up from the chair.

"Gabby, where are you going?" asked Sharpay, sitting up with confusion.

"I'm going somewhere where Troy is _not _here." Gabriella left the pool, but before she could exit the property, she bumped into Troy himself with an _oof!_

"Watch it Montez," growled Troy, pushing her aside. Though, it wasn't rough.

Gabriella's temper was in hot water, mainly from the events of today. She turned around to face Troy's back. "I'm so fucking sick of you."

Troy stopped and turned around, ignoring the silence that ensued over the others. "You're fucking sick of _me? _I'm fucking sick of _you_!" He walked away with a huff.

Gabriella left, muttering profanities about Troy until she bumped into someone else _again_. It was Jason, who had apparently been looking for her.

"Jason, what are you doing here?"

"Looking for you. Cover up, will ya?" demanded Jason, tossing his hand lightly in the air.

Gabriella wrapped the towel around her body and walked with him towards her car. He had a hold of her hand roughly, but she refused to speak out against it.

"I noticed Bolton was there. What'd you guys do?"

Gabriella furrowed her eyebrows with confusion. "Nothing. Jason you need to stop. I hate Troy."

"Good." He stopped in front of her and grabbed her shoulders roughly. "Because, if I see you talking to him or touching him or even looking at him…well, you know."

Gabriella winced when he let her go and got into his car. She watched him leave the Evans' property and sighed shakily. She didn't want the consequences. She knew it'd be easy to stay away from Troy. Then again, it wouldn't.

Deciding she was too shaken up to drive, she went back to the pool but she went into the pool house instead of back to her friends. They didn't even notice she came back. She unwrapped the towel from her body and set it on the counter. She went around the counter and sat against it with her knees to her chest.

On the other side of the counter, Troy exited from the bathroom and heard a noise. It sounded like somebody crying. He quietly snuck over to the other side and spotted Gabriella, of all people. She was crying though, hugging her knees to her chest.

"Are you okay?" asked Troy. He wasn't acting. He was truly concerned.

Gabriella quickly got up when she saw Troy. "Stay away from me, Troy. I don't need you in my life."

Troy stopped, getting a sudden flashback.

"_Troy, just leave me alone." said an exasperated Gabriella._

_Troy tried to catch up with her, grabbing her elbow. "Gabriella, listen to me!"_

"_No!" Gabriella turned around with tears in her eyes, though they weren't heavy. "Troy…I don't need you in my life. Just go away."_

Troy looked around to find he was alone. What had just happened?

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>So, there you have it. I know it's kind of short, but I'm actually proud of this chapter. You see another side of Gabriella and Troy. Of course, they argued but you see that there is something else going on with them. I also put in part of the scene that turned them into who they are now. Also, you get some insight on what really goes on in Jason and Gabriella's relationship. The next chapter will continue to reveal more, but it will be a biggy chapter. Well, not _the _chapter. But, you'll see. Review! PS: Thank you so much for those who love the story so far. I see in my e-mail all the people who favorite it, put it on their story alert, review, or even put me on their favorite author! It means a lot. Love you guys (:


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated to High School Musical. All that is written is purely fictitious. _

_Summary: Troy and Gabriella are labeled as the king and queen of East High, yet they hate each other with a passion. What happens when one incident brings them together?_

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><p><em>Gabriella looked at Troy from across the room with shock, anger, and hurt. Had he really just said what he just said? It couldn't be true. Could it?<em>

"_Gabby…" Troy looked at her, breathing heavily out of exasperation and diminishing anger. Every time he was angry or out of control, just one look at her would calm him down._

_But, Gabriella ran away. She couldn't handle this right now. Not after what she just witnessed from beginning to end. _

_The last thing Troy saw before he ran after her was the drop of a tear to the ground._

Troy woke up in bed the next morning, clutching the pillow in his arms. It was all a dream. Yet, it was all real-from that one day that would never leave his mind no matter how hard he tried to erase it. Every part of that flashback felt like it was just yesterday when it happened. He could feel everything. He could still remember the smell of Gabriella when-.

"Honey, are you okay?" Lucille Bolton walked into his bedroom, concern covering her face. She looked like she just got out of bed. "I heard you talking in your sleep."

"What did I say?" asked Troy, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

Lucille shrugged and sat on his bed. "You kept muttering Gabriella's name and saying you love her."

The world stopped right then and there. Troy looked down and rubbed his head hard. He was dreaming, right? He didn't say he loved Gabriella. Did he?

"I don't love Gabriella, Mom." He shook his head. "Not after what happened."

"Oh, please. Troy, I'm your mother. I know these things. You still love her." Lucille gave him a look that told him he better not deny it.

Troy sighed and plopped his head down on the pillow, shutting his eyes. He knew she was right. It was just hard to admit to _her_. To Gabriella.

With her beautiful, raven hair that curled perfectly down her long, toned back.

Her chocolate brown eyes that sparkled when she laughed her simply had a true smile on her face.

Her lips…

Troy licked his lips absentmindedly, forgetting that his mother was still in the room. She nudged him lightly, causing him to glance at her.

"Why is it hard for you to admit that you love her, Troy? I can see it in your eyes. Plus, you talk about her every day like you hate her."

Troy sighed. "I don't hate her. That's just a cover up." He paused. "But she hates me. I know she does."

"How do you know for sure?" asked Lucille.

"Because I just know. She said she doesn't need me in her life. She told me straight to my face." Troy sighed, running a rough hand through his hair. "I wish she never told me that."

"I may not remember that much about being a teenager anymore, but I do know that it's the time of your life where you take risks. You follow your heart." She looked at him. "What does your heart say about Gabriella?"

Troy thought for barely a moment before he said, "I love her, Mom."

* * *

><p>At Gabriella's house that afternoon, only one thing was going through her mind. Something was definitely wrong with her. Ever since she told Troy to stay away from her yesterday, he was all she could think about. This wasn't supposed to be happening. She was supposed to stay away from him, to not even think about him.<p>

Otherwise…

She sighed as she lay in the hammock in the backyard, plopping grapes into her mouth. Things were becoming so difficult. Why did it have to be like that? Really, it was her fault that things were like that. She's the one who wanted to end what they had nearly a year ago. Now, it was just more chaos.

"Gabriella, are you okay?" She heard her mother's voice and merely shrugged, inviting her mother to the hammock. Gabriella's eyes stayed cast upward towards the blue sky while her mother looked at her. "What's going through your mind?"

"So much crap." Gabriella glanced at her mother. "Mom, something's not right. All I can think about is Troy."

Her mother seemed shocked, but calm. "I still don't understand what happened with you two. You guys were fine until you barged through the door, saying you never wanted to see him again."

"It's a long story, Mom." She sighed. "But, something happened yesterday and now I can't stop thinking about him. And, I don't want to think about him."

"What happened?" asked Miss Montez, curious.

"Again, long story." Miss Montez nodded, understanding that it was not meant to be talked about just yet.

"I don't think you should be talking to me about this." Gabriella looked up to stare at her mother with furrowed eyebrows, but saw her eyes looking at somebody else. She followed her mother's gaze and gasped.

Troy.

"I'll leave you two alone." Miss Montez left and shut the back door softly, leaving the two teenagers alone in silence.

Troy cautiously walked toward the hammock until Gabriella stood up. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Fine, I'll leave." Troy didn't mean it to come out as rude. It was just a habit.

Gabriella sighed, letting her anger drop. "No. I just…" She paused, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm not supposed to talk to you."

Troy furrowed his eyebrows, confused. "What?"

"Uh…" Why had Gabriella just said that out loud?

"Jason's idea?" asked Troy, his lips becoming tight. She didn't answer, which gave him _his _answer. "Gabriella, I don't get you. Why are you with this guy?"

"I love him." That was a lie.

"Try again," said Troy, walking closer.

"He loves me." That was a lie, too.

Troy stopped in front of her, staring her down intently. "Gabriella. Tell me the truth. Just admit it." He paused. "You know that I know."

"There is nothing to admit," said Gabriella. She was nearly shaking with nerves at how close Troy was. They hadn't been this close in a while. It kind of felt good to feel the heat from his body. To feel his breath on her face.

Troy sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He walked away from her, but turned back around to look at her. "Dammit, Gabriella. Everyone knows what is going on with you two. They've seen it from around the corner. They have seen the marks. Why can't you just admit it? At least, to me?"

Gabriella looked at him. "Why in the world would I admit it to you?"

"So there is something to admit," whispered Troy.

She had run into his little trap, whether it was one or not. She couldn't do this. "Stop it, Troy."

"No."

"Troy…"

"Fucking admit it, Gabriella!"

"Fine! He beats me! Jason beats me! Are you happy?" Gabriella screamed.

There was immediate silence around the backyard except for the various bird chirps. They stared at each other intently. Gabriella was shaking, a few tears rolling down her cheeks. She had admitted the truth. To Troy. That should have never happened in a million years.

Troy walked toward her slowly. "How long?"

Gabriella sighed and looked down. "I don't know. After a few months when we first began dating."

"How have you been able to stand it?" asked Troy.

"Why do you care, Troy? You hate my guts, remember?" Gabriella looked at him, shaking her head.

Troy looked at her. Should he do it? It'd be a major risk on their part. He could tell the truth or keep pretending. But, he hated pretending. Living a lie. That wasn't how it should be.

"I don't hate you, Gabriella." He paused, his heart beating fast at the speed of light. "I love you."

Before Gabriella had a chance to even say one syllable, Troy's lips were on Gabriella's with his hands on her cheeks.

Yeah, it was definitely a major risk he was taking.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This is NOT the chapter. You know…**THE **chapter. Although, this is a major chapter. I put all I could into this chapter. Has anyway figured out what may have happened during the flashback that caused their falling out? Don't plan on reading the entire flashback in the next few chapters. There will be bits and pieces until I decided to reveal it all. Try and figure out what Gabriella will do in the next chapter. Will she accept the kiss or turn him away angrily? I'll keep you posted on secrets and news! Thank you to all who read this story! (: xoxoxo


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated to High School Musical. All that is written is purely fictitious._

_Summary: Troy and Gabriella are labeled as the king and queen of East High, yet they hate each other with a passion. What happens when one incident brings them together?_

* * *

><p>Gabriella pushed him back, covering her mouth in shock. Had Troy just kissed her? Troy <em>Bolton<em>? This wasn't supposed to be happening. They should be screaming at each other, saying they hate each other. But he said he loved her?

"Troy, why did you just do that?" whispered Gabriella. She turned around, not wanting to look at him.

Secretly, she liked it.

Troy didn't know what to say. He had been wanting to kiss her for nearly a year now and it felt so good. Her lips were so soft against his own. He could feel the spark. "Because I love you."

Gabriella turned to look at him. "But, you can't love me. I mean…" She paused. "You hate me. We're supposed to hate each other."

"No." He sighed. "Can we talk about this? Please?"

She reluctantly led him back to the hammock as they both sat down. Her heart jumped when she saw how close he was to hers. Their knees were touching.

"Troy, please don't do something both of us will regret." Gabriella pleaded.

"Just hear me out." Troy sighed. "Look, it was all an act. I never hated you. I could never hate you." He turned to her. "Gabriella, I've been in love with you for so long. And, to see you with _him_, just makes me so angry because he keeps hurting you and you don't even do anything about it."

Gabriella shook her head, not looking at him. She could feel the tears coming. He was right, of course. She didn't do anything about it because she didn't want to get hurt even more. She couldn't even imagine what else Jason would do to her if she ran away. She was pulled out of her mind when she felt Troy hold her hand.

"Gabriella, I know that you love me too." He stopped her before she tried to deny it. "Don't deny it, either. I can see it in your eyes."

Damn him for knowing her too well.

Gabriella sighed, running a hand over her face. "I can't love you. I just can't."

"Why not? What is so horrible about it?" asked Troy.

"I don't want to know what Jason would do to me if he found out I love you." It was the first time Gabriella told Troy her feelings, but she didn't react.

Troy, however, did. He tried to hide his smile, but failed. "You love me."

Gabriella rolled her eyes, not being phased by his reaction. "Troy, it can't happen. He'd kill both of us."

They were interrupted when Miss Montez came outside. "Troy, your mom called. She needs you home." She noticed the close interaction between the two, but decided not to comment on it.

Troy sighed. He wasn't finished. He didn't want to leave Gabriella's side, though she seemed pretty adamant on leaving his side. She stood up and headed for the patio door, until Troy stopped her.

He stood by the gate, choosing his words carefully. "Gabriella, I love you. I just want you to know that you deserve better than Jason."

Gabriella watched him leave, taking his words into account. She didn't know what to do. Yes, she loved Troy. Though it wasn't entirely obvious to everyone, it was true. She had been in love with him for quite some time. She just didn't know how to admit it.

She thought back to all the times they had argued, fought, called each other names. For some reason, she began to wonder about how it barely held any meaning. They never meant to call each other names. Thy never meant to shove or push. It was just a mask to hide what they were really feeling.

"Gabriella!" Miss Montez pulled her daughter out of her reverie, holding the cordless phone in her hand. "Sharpay is on the phone."

Gabriella took the phone with her and hurried to her room, shutting the door behind her. Her heart was racing at her revelation and she didn't know what the hell to do.

"I don't know what the hell to do." Gabriella fell back on her bed.

"_Hello to you too, Gabriella. My day has been fine,_" said Sharpay, her tone lacing with sarcasm.

"Sharpay, I'm serious. It's about Troy."

"_Oh God. What did he do now?" _Sharpay was definitely not in the mood to hear about another argument they had.

"It's not what he did, it's what _I _did!" exclaimed Gabriella.

"_What? What are you-"_

"Sharpay, I'm in love with Troy!" interrupted Gabriella. She bit on her nails nervously, waiting for Sharpay's reaction. All she heard was an omniscient sound in the background. Had the line gone dead or had Sharpay dramatically fainted? "Sharpay, hello?"

"_You're fucking in love with Troy Bolton? What the fucking hell? I can NOT believe this! When, where, how?" _Sharpay practically damaged Gabriella's eardrums.

"He came over and we just started talking like normal people. He told me he's been in love with me for a while. He said he hates seeing me with Jason and how he treats me."

"_What? How does Jason treat you?" _Gabriella forgot that not even Sharpay knew of the Jason's violent temper.

"That's not the point. The point is…" She sighed. "I don't know what to do, Sharpay. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place."

"_I, for one, have no idea what you should do either. It's just weird to know that you are in love with Troy and vice versa." _

Gabriella rolled her eyes. What a great friend she was.

* * *

><p>Gabriella sat up that night in her bed, not getting any sleep whatsoever. She still couldn't believe she admitted she was in love with Troy. Wasn't she supposed to hate him after what happened? Though, she enjoyed what had happened. Even if it did change everything.<p>

Yet, she loved him. His eyes continued to make her squirm with their intense and powerful gaze. His crooked smile made her heart pump faster each day. His hair, his body, his _voice. _It made her want him…again.

As if her prayers were answered, she heard a knock on her balcony door and saw Troy standing there. He waved sheepishly. Gabriella got up from her bed and opened the doors, whispering. "Troy, what are you doing? My mom is asleep."

"I can't stay away from you." Troy noticed her attire, consisting of short shorts and a tank top. God, she looked gorgeous.

"Troy, you can't-"

He interrupted her by enveloping her in his arms, kissing her intimately. He had been sitting in his house too damn long and he needed to see her. This was how love-struck he was, how attached he was to her being.

Gabriella pushed him away, running her hands through her hair. This was too fast, too much. Her head was spinning and she felt dizzy. She was completely in love with Troy, but she didn't know what to do about it.

"Gabriella, please. I can't stand pretending to fight, calling each other horrible names, and seeing you with _him_." She knew who he was referring to. "I want you so badly."

Troy watched as Gabriella moved around her room, clutching onto her desk. What should she do? His words were hitting her hard, making her stomach flip and her heart jump. God, she wanted him. She felt his hands on her arms as he rubbed them up and down.

"Gabriella," whispered Troy. "I love you."

That's all he had to say for Gabriella to finally give in. She loved him, too. And, she wasn't going to let him get away. "Just kiss me."

They paired their lips together in a tantalizing kiss, their hands roaming the other's body. After nearly a year of fighting and harsh words thrown haphazardly, it was all coming together as one thing that they both needed and wanted from the other.

Love.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>I guess this is kind of a filler chapter, but then again not so much. This is the beginning of what will become the saga of Troyella in this story. I had trouble figuring out how I wanted them to come together, but I think this is passionate and downright good. Give me some feedback of this chapter. I'm wondering what you guys think about this! And to runninequalslife, I really want your feedback on this chapter. I know you're keeping an eye on it (again, totally understandable) and I want to know what your take is on it, if you don't mind. Thanks guys! xoxoxo


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated to High School Musical. All that is written is purely fictitious._

_Summary: Troy and Gabriella are labeled as the king and queen of East High, yet they hate each other with a passion. What happens when one incident brings them together?_

* * *

><p>"So, you're actually in love with Troy Bolton?" asked Taylor, looking across the table at Gabriella's lowered head.<p>

Sharpay and Taylor agreed to meet with Gabriella in private to discuss what exactly was going on with the two, who were _supposedly _enemies. Gabriella still hadn't told them about why Troy hated Jason so much. They figured it was just because of the MVP basketball situation.

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you guys," said an exasperated Gabriella. "It all just…happened." She clutched her hands together tightly.

"Was that the last time you spoke to Troy?" asked Sharpay.

Gabriella blushed. "No. He actually snuck into my room last night."

Both Taylor and Sharpay looked at her with wide eyes, mentally asking her the most obvious question. Gabriella simply rolled her eyes.

"No, we didn't have sex. I'm not that stupid. If Jason found out…" She stopped, not wanting to finish the sentence. There was no telling what exactly he would do.

"What would happen _if _Jason found out?" asked Taylor.

Sharpay jumped in. "Gabriella is there something you're not telling us?"

"I can't tell you guys. It's too much trouble." Gabriella ultimately wanted to leave. She knew her friends were going to pry into her to get information.

"Come on, Gabriella. We're your friends." Taylor leaned forward with Sharpay. "We can keep a secret."

"Promise? Nobody needs to know. Not even my _mother_."

When the girls nodded in agreement, Gabriella sighed and began telling her story. She started from when she first met Jason to the very end to where she and Troy began "hating" each other. She stopped and looked at the girls. They both had shocked looks on their faces.

"Are you _fucking _kidding me?" shouted Sharpay, leaning back.

Gabriella shushed her, looking around. "Sharpay!"

Sharpay leant forward again, whispering. "How could you keep this a secret for so long? And how could we not know?"

Gabriella sighed, shaking her head. "If I told anybody and Jason found out, God knows what he'd do. He would always threaten me."

"That explains so much," said Taylor. She then smiled. "It's so sweet that Troy cares about you like that."

"Taylor, you don't get it. I can't love Troy. It's too risky. I could never hang around him because Jason would see me. It's just not possible." Gabriella rested her forehead on her arms, groaning softly.

Sharpay suddenly smirked and leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed. "Oh, it's possible."

Gabriella looked at her. "How in the world is it possible, Sharpay? Enlighten me, please."

"Chill! Listen, there are jobs available at the country club, Lava Springs. We need an extra waiter, which I can give to Troy. And we need a lifeguard, too."

"I've never had training, though." Gabriella bit her bottom lip.

"No problem. Hardly anybody drowns. You would be teaching water aerobics most of the time. All you need to do the other half of the time is sit in the chair and get a tan. It's perfect." Sharpay smiled.

"But how is this gonna give more time for me and Troy? What if Jason shows up?" asked Gabriella.

"If he shows up, then just try and stay away from each other. If he hurts you, you tell either me or Taylor or even Troy and I will kick him out," said Sharpay.

"If he gets kicked out, he'll know I told somebody."

"I'll just say we have to have a staff meeting and everybody needs to get the hell out of the club for the remainder of the day." Sharpay shrugged her shoulders as if it was that simple.

"Sharpay, I don't-" Gabriella was interrupted by Taylor.

"Come on, Gabriella. You love Troy, right?"

Gabriella nodded. "More than I should."

"It'll work out. Who knows what could happen in the end?" asked Sharpay, rhetorically.

Gabriella sighed, running a hand through her curls. "Fine. When do I start?"

"Tomorrow morning at 6," said Sharpay, getting up with Taylor from the table.

Gabriella stood up and pushed her chair in. "Can you pick me up? My car is still in the shop."

Sharpay nodded and followed her with Taylor towards the exit, going through each and every plan in her head that she might need for the rest of the summer.

* * *

><p>"You want me to be there at w<em>hat <em>time?" exclaimed Troy, clutching his cell phone in his hand as he lay in bed that night. Why in the world Sharpay called him after midnight was beyond him.

"_You heard me, basketball boy."_

"Basketball boy? Sharpay, why couldn't you tell me all this work crap before midnight?" Troy rubbed his hand over his face, groaning.

"_Just listen, okay? I got Gabriella a job there, too."_ Gabriella's name brought Troy out of his tired reverie. _"She told me everything last night-both Taylor and I know. I'm giving you guys the opportunity to actually be together."_

"You are? But, what about-"

"_Jason? I have that figured out. If he comes around, you guys just have to stay apart. If he hurts Gabriella and we find out, I'll just call a staff meeting and kick everybody out." _She paused. _"So, 6?"_

Troy sighed. "Fine. Can I go back to sleep now?"

* * *

><p>The next morning, Troy arrived at exactly five minutes a<em>fter <em>six. He was dressed simply in white basketball shorts and a Redhawks t-shirt. His evident yawn was an indication that he wasn't awake yet. He would blame Sharpay for that, of course.

He looked around the lobby of the Lava Springs club. The room looked largely circular with red-oak walls all around. There was a crescent lobby desk with an empty, cushioned chair and a laptop facing it. Behind the chair was the Lava Springs logo.

As Troy walked forward more, he noticed shelves upon shelves of awards and photos. 95% of them involved Sharpay…and pink. He shuddered lightly and turned around to face a man in a grey suit and blue tie. Troy jumped at the older man. "Jesus!"

"Sorry to scare you, but only employees are allowed this early at the club. Are you a member?" asked the older man, adjusting his small glasses.

"Uh…no. I'm Troy Bolton. Sharpay offered me the waiter job." Troy held out his hand politely.

The older man nodded, coming to the realization. "Yes! I heard about you. I'm Mr. Fulton. I operate this club."

Troy nodded after he shook his hand then looked around. "So, where do I need to go?"

"First, we need to get you fit into your uniform. Follow me, please." Troy followed the man down different hallways until they reached a door marked "Employees Only". He finally saw people his age, but people he didn't know. He wasn't that great with new people, shockingly.

"People, this is Troy Bolton. He is the new waiter," introduced Mr. Fulton.

The others nodded their heads and muttered hello's. They obviously weren't up for meeting new people so early in the morning. Troy merely smiled and looked at Mr. Fulton. "Where do I change?"

"Just around the corner is a locker room. All sizes are available." Troy nodded and followed the directions until he saw a "Men" sign on a door. He went inside to find it empty except for a rack of button up, blue shirts and tan pants with black shoes to match.

"Classic."

After struggling to put on the nice uniform, he walked out of the locker room. Suddenly, his body collided with another and he looked up from his shoes to see Gabriella. She must have just arrived since she was dressed in jean shorts and a wildcat t-shirt. Her hair was in loose curls and she wore little makeup.

She looked beautiful.

"Troy," whispered Gabriella. She looked around, becoming paranoid about whether or not Jason was around.

Troy grabbed her hand and led her into the locker room, shutting the door and locking it. He then pressed her against the door and kissed her fervently. Gabriella gave in and wrapped her arms around his waist as his hands traveled to her thigh, bringing her right leg up to his waist.

He had missed her touch, her kiss.

He pulled back reluctantly. "I've missed you."

Gabriella looked up at him and for the first time willingly, she smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> I said I'd be back in 2012 and here it is. This week has already been crazy with so much drama that I don't need and that is totally unnecessary in the first place. But, we won't get into that silliness. I honestly wasn't expecting to end the chapter this way, but when I put the period on that last sentence, I kept saying it over and over in my head. It just sounds like a good ending. Of course, the next chapter will start with them still in the locker room. This is just the beginning. It will be a while before the next chapter comes up. I am working on my graduation project which is, surprise, a short story! But, I won't make a long time until chapter seven. I'll keep you updated on my Twitter and Facebook. (:


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated to High School Musical. All that is written is purely fictitious._

_Summary: Troy and Gabriella are labeled as the king and queen of East High, yet they hate each other with a passion. What happens when one incident brings them together?_

* * *

><p>"I've missed you too," whispered Gabriella. She glanced up at Troy, feeling nervous with being alone with him again and the odds against them of being caught in such a public place.<p>

Troy looked at her and stroked her cheek after he let go of her thigh. He put his lips on hers and began kissing her again, but with passion. He put his hands on her waist and brought her closer, having her feel his hard crotch. She gasped and pulled back, her heart beating.

"Troy, somebody will see us. And I have to get changed for work." Gabriella put a few tendrils behind her ears, trying to calm her heart.

"Where are you working?" asked Troy, watching her.

"Sharpay put me as the lifeguard." Gabriella shrugged.

Troy smirked, getting closer to her as he maneuvered his hands on her waist again. "So, I get to see you in a hot bikini?"

Gabriella giggled, playfully pushing him away. "Nice try. It's a full bathing suit in red. And I will be wearing shorts over it unless I have to get in the water."

"A guy can dream, right?" murmured Troy, leading her to the back of the wall as he caged her in with his arms.

"You're just a bag of tricks today, aren't you?" Gabriella was starting to feel more comfortable with the atmosphere.

"You haven't seen anything yet," said Troy, leaning in to kiss her again.

* * *

><p>"<em>Troy, what are you doing here?" asked Gabriella, standing up from her bed. She wasn't in the mood to talk to him after what she had seen.<em>

_Troy quickly walked over to her without a single breath or hesitation and kissed her. He was expecting her to pull back, but to his surprise she did the exact opposite. _

_She became frisky, even. She tugged at his shirt, making the edges wrinkly. He knew she wanted him._

_And he wanted her, too. _

Troy broke out of his reverie when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked down and noticed a man asking for his water. He finally gave it to him and hurried back to the kitchen. It was only his first day serving food to people and it was already busy.

He had accidentally spilled tea on a woman's white dress, much to both of their dismay. He got an order wrong, considering a customer was allergic to peanuts. Needless to say, his tips were very minimal.

After he and Gabriella left the locker room, secretly and separately, she had been on his mind. Her body, her taste, her smell. He was so addicted to her, but he knew he shouldn't be. She wasn't really his to keep forever, but he wanted her forever.

She was still Jason's, still being his punching bag. It made him sick that she was still with a guy like that. She should have left the second it happened. The second she knew he witnessed it. The second they made love.

He could still remember that night. The night that started it all and ended it all.

"Bolton!" yelled Mr. Fulton, directing him back to the dining room.

* * *

><p>Gabriella sat on her chair atop the outdoor pool, feeling like she was wasting her time. There was no one to save and her aerobics class was only in the mornings. She had been sitting there for the past 4 hours. She checked the clock on the side of the building, noticing at last that she had about 15 minutes until her lunch break.<p>

15 minutes until she could be with Troy again.

He had promised to take her somewhere special for lunch, although she wasn't sure if there were that many special places around. The club was at least an hour from town.

Something caught her eye. She looked towards the direction of the lounge chairs and noticed Jason and a couple of his friends being sneaky with a paper bag. She was disgusted, knowing exactly what was in the bag.

How could somebody be so low as to drink in broad daylight and around little kids?

She got down from her chair and stormed towards them. She waited for them to notice her, but she actually had to get their attention. "Jason!"

Jason turned his head sloppily towards her and grinned. He handed the bag to one of the guys and stood up, attempting to give her a sloppy kiss. "Hey baby."

Gabriella backed away from him, repulsed by his behavior. "Stop it." She dropped her voice to a whisper. "What the hell are you doing drinking when there are little kids around?"

"We're just trying to have more fun at this stuck-up resort." He looked her up and down, causing uncomfortable shivers to go down her spine. "You look like you want some fun in that skimpy outfit."

"No, I have a job unlike you. I need to be professional."

Jason glared at her. "Whatever." He turned back to grab the paper bag, but Gabriella snatched it before he could. "What the fuck?" He ignored the glares he got from mothers.

Gabriella scurried away towards the trash can, but Jason was faster. He grabbed her arm, causing her to drop the bag and hearing the bottle break inside. He grabbed her shoulders. The sudden altercation caused children to be taken away for fear of being accidentally hit.

"Jason, let go of me. You're being ridiculous." Gabriella gritted her teeth, feeling his pressure intensify.

Jason shook her, his drunken state take over. She still couldn't believe he even chose to get drunk this early. "You're just being a bitch!"

He then let go of her with a strong push. One thing led to another. She felt her foot bend in the wrong way as she stumbled on the concrete's edge, hearing a crack as she fell into the pool with a scream of shock.

* * *

><p>Troy looked at his watch for the second time, sighing. Gabriella was supposed to have met him about 15 minutes ago so they could have lunch together, but he hadn't seen her anywhere. He was about to just go back to work to clean tables when he saw the door open and he heard a faint cry.<p>

He watched as two employees helped carry a weeping Gabriella to a chair. She was soaked from head to toe and holding her right foot up. When she sat down and accidentally put pressure on her foot, she grasped it in pain and let more tears roll down her cheeks.

Troy rushed over and knelt down to her level. "Gabby…Gabriella…what's wrong? Baby, what happened?" He didn't care if people looked at him curiously or with shock. This was important.

His Gabriella was in pain.

Gabriella looked at him, sniffling and stammering through her tears. "I-I fell in the pool." She paused, glancing at her foot. "I…tripped over a chair."

Troy watched as the same employees came back with ice packs and a first aid kit. He got out of the way and turned away from everybody, trying to hide his anger. He knew good and well that Gabriella didn't trip over a chair.

Oh, he knew what had really happened.

However, as if reading his mind, he heard Gabriella and he turned to face her. She simply shook her head and whispered "don't". He simply nodded, knowing he couldn't do it.

Gabriella needed him and he would be there for her, even if she wasn't fully his. That was love.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Man, this took so long to figure out! I don't know, I just got some sort of random inspiration out of nowhere and I had to finish this chapter. It's really just a filler chapter, but helps the story continue to build into something more. There won't be many more chapters left, but I'll make them good and eye-popping. I'm hoping to update on my other story soon and I have another story idea in my head, too. Better write it down so I won't forget it. Review and tell me what you think. (:


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated to High School Musical. All that is written is purely fictitious._

_Summary: Troy and Gabriella are labeled as the king and queen of East High, yet they hate each other with a passion. What happens when one incident brings them together?_

* * *

><p>After Mr. Fulton was told of the incident that had happened to Gabriella, he immediately sent her home but assured her that it wouldn't affect her job pay. She'd get worker's compensation and when she was feeling up to it again, she could return to work. Once Gabriella had left work with the help of Sharpay driving her, she headed straight for the hospital to be examined has to how serious her injury was. The doctor told her she had sprained her ankle, letting her know that the crack she heard was her mind playing tricks. Either way, Gabriella was relieved that her ankle was entirely in the gutter.<p>

Once Troy got off work that night, making sure to be good and not pummel Jason to a pulp, he drove his truck at least three blocks away from Gabriella's house. When he arrived in her backyard, he noticed that her light was off, but there was the slightest dim of the TV. He looked up at the familiar tree that he had climbed so many times before, and swiftly swept up onto her balcony. Her curtains were hiding everything from his view so he gently knocked on the glass, hoping she'd be able to let him in.

He waited for about 5 minutes until he saw the curtains pull back by a hobbling Gabriella. She had crutches under armpits and he pressed his lips together, wishing he could make her feel better. She looked at him and opened the door, not saying a word. All he had to do was bring her into his arms before she started crying and clutching onto his shirt, her crutches dropping to the floor of her room.

He reluctantly let go of her and scooped her up gently in his arms. He placed her on the bed gently as she watched him grab her crutches and place them on her desk. She looked at him, sniffling.

"Troy," she whispered.

Troy nodded and got on her bed, laying down against the pillows and holding her against his body. He checked to make sure her ankle didn't have any pressure on it before he looked at her, watching her eyes stay trained on the TV. She was watching a cooking show that displayed the recipes on how to create a double layer chocolate cake.

"How is your ankle doing?" murmured Troy, not particularly enjoying the silence that overcame them for the past ten minutes.

"It's sore, but I'm fine." She looked up at him and gripped his shirt. "Troy, I know you're angry."

He sighed. "I'm not angry at you, that's for sure."

"But at Jason?" predicted Gabriella.

"I just can't stand that he hurts you. It makes me angry that I can't do anything about it because you won't let me. Above all that, you won't leave him." He shook his head, trying to reason with her. "Gabriella, I'm good for you. You know that I'm in love with you."

Gabriella sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Troy, I know you are. And, I am too. But if I try to leave Jason, there will be dire consequences. Believe me, Troy. I've _tried _to leave him. When I do though, he…threatens me."

This is the first time that Troy had heard of this. "_Threaten_ you? How?"

Gabriella looked away from him. "He would…grab my arms. He'd make me fear for my life in his tone of voice. He tells me that he will make sure that no other guy touches me because he is the only one that can touch me." She looked back at him. "Troy, this isn't just about me. It's about you, too. If he knows I live him for you, then he will hurt you too. I can't let that happen."

"Gabby, I can take him. You don't need to worry about me." Gabriella sighed.

"Troy, I don't want to argue you about this. I know you are stronger than him, but I just don't want you getting hurt. I don't even want you guys exchanging harsh words at each other because I know what it will lead to," explained Gabriella.

He sighed, looking up at the ceiling. He didn't say word for the next few minutes. Suddenly, the left side of his body felt cold and he looked down to find Gabriella was gone. He sat up on his elbows and stopped cold when he saw Gabriella standing in front of him.

She began to slip the tank-top strap down her shoulder, preceded by the other one before removing it from her body to reveal a white lace bra holding smooth, supple breasts.

Troy gulped, remember the last time he had seen such a sight from her.

_She looked up at him and tore off her t-shirt to reveal her black bra that barely held her breasts. She wanted to drive him crazy. She had wanted him for so long; ever since she fell for him. She never had this opportunity because of Jason._

_Troy looked at her rubbed the pad of his thumb under her bra, reaching to her peaked nipple. She bit her lip and tossed her head back, gripping her fingers at his jeans. _

_They wanted each other so much that they couldn't stand it._

Once Troy came back from his flashback, Gabriella was already down to her lingerie. She stood there, gently smoothing her hands over her hips. He looked at her, feeling his erection build at the sight of her. She was so gorgeous.

"Gabriella, are you sure you want to do this?"

Gabriella gently crawled onto Troy, slightly wincing at her ankle. She sat on his crotch, feeling his erection underneath her. "Troy, we haven't made love in over a year. And last time you were here with me, we barely did anything at all. We have lost time to make up for."

"Are you sure?" asked Troy, already taking off his shirt to reveal his hard worked abs and pectorals.

She bent down and kissed his lips softly, looking him in the eyes. "Troy, I love you. I mean that from the bottom of my heart."

"But you can't leave Jason," whispered Troy. He held her close to his body as she began to unbuckle his pants.

Gabriella stopped and looked at him. She held onto his face gently. "I'll try to leave Jason, but I can't make promises." She didn't know if she was telling the truth or a lie, but she didn't want him doubting her love.

Troy places his hands on her hips, arching his pelvis up so his erection poked her with the pleasure. She bit her lip and slid down his pants to his ankles before taking off her underwear. "Do you have something?"

He nodded and helped her gently get off of his body and lay her down, his heart slightly breaking when she winced again at her ankle. He took off his pants and reached down into his back pocket before pulling out a gold package.

After slipping on the condom, he hovered over Gabriella and stroked her face. He searched her eyes and could still sense the hurt she had been through with Jason. He made a promise to himself to _never _hurt her.

"Troy, make love to me," whispered Gabriella.

That's all it took. He slipped inside her slowly, feeling her slightly tense up but soon relax at the familiar surroundings. He held her close to him as they lay together on her bed, making love. It was slow, but it held such passion and intensity that they felt like they were in their own world. They took their time, kissing each other in different places and making sure the other felt an equal amount of love.

When they came together, they held themselves close to each other and lay wrapped in each other's arms. Once Troy pulled himself out of her and threw the condom away in her trash bin, he got under the covers with her and held her close. He made sure her ankle had no pressure by adding a small pillow underneath the blanket. He kept asking her questions about whether or not it needed to be adjusted or if the pillow was too hard.

Gabriella loved that he was taking such good care of her. Jason never did these things, not even when she had the flu a couple of months ago. But she knew that if Troy had been her boyfriend at the time, he would do whatever it took in his will power to make her feel better.

She snuggled close to his bare chest and sighed. She felt him move slightly until he spoke up. "Do you want me to turn the TV off?"

Gabriella shook her head. "No, it's fine. It's on mute anyway."

Troy chuckled, causing Gabriella to squirm with a slight squeak at the rumbling of his chest. He rubbed her arm and kissed the top of her head, making sure she felt warm in his embrace.

"Troy, do you work tomorrow?" asked Gabriella, sounding as if she were about to drift off to sleep.

He nodded lightly against her head. "I have to be there at six, otherwise Sharpay will flip shit."

She giggled, rubbing his chest as she closed her eyes. "Sharpay being Sharpay."

"That's for sure," chuckled Troy.

Before he knew it, he heard the soft, even breaths of Gabriella and knew she was asleep. He smiled and kissed her head for the last time that night, happy to have her in his arms.

"Goodnight, baby."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>I know you guys probably want a little drama between Jason and Troy, but I promise you'll get it soon. I'll probably have at least fifteen chapters of this story, maybe a teeny bit less than that. Hopefully this chapter will hold you off until I figure out the next chapter. Review and tell me what you think!


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated to High School Musical. All that is written is purely fictitious._

_Summary: Troy and Gabriella are labeled as the king and queen of East High, yet they hate each other with a passion. What happens when one incident brings them together?_

* * *

><p>About a week later, things seemed to have returned to normal. Nobody had heard from Jason since the incident at the pool, though the only people who truly knew of the incident were the witness, Gabriella, and Troy. However, nobody wanted to come forward with the truth of what had happened to Gabriella. Not even Troy. He wanted to keep Gabriella's wishes and not cause any more trouble for the both of them.<p>

However, she had been acting distant to him since she had returned. The last time they had seen each other alone was when they made love. She had needed her rest after that, but now that she was back at work, she had barely acknowledged Troy. She would give a simple smile if they passed each other, but that was all. No kiss, no hug, no greeting. It was like they were strangers.

As Troy came out of the locker room the next day after changing into his work clothes, he bumped into Gabriella. She had just come out of the other locker room and was dressed in her uniform. She had on white shorts, and her red one-piece.

They looked at each other, but Troy stopped her from walking away from him. He brought her to the secluded corner and looked at her. "Gabriella, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be okay?" She didn't seem off or upset with him. She just looked like her normal self.

"You're not really talking to me at all." He dropped his voice to a whisper. "You haven't seen me like this in private since we made love."

She looked at him and placed a hand on his cheek, though it was cautious. "Troy, nothing is wrong. Let's just get to work, okay?"

Troy nodded and sighed when she pecked his cheek. He watched her leave and ran a hand through his hair before following her path to start his job.

* * *

><p>When lunch finally came around, Troy waited for Gabriella at the entrance to the outdoor pool. He really wanted to get to the bottom of this, wondering what was going on with her. But she didn't come out. He looked outside and saw the male lifeguard at the chair. He walked over to him.<p>

"Dude, do you know where Gabriella is?" asked Troy.

"Yeah, she left about 5 minutes ago towards the lounge."

Troy sighed and thanked him before heading off towards the lounge. He really wanted to know what was wrong. It couldn't be their night last week. He used protection. He knew she got her birth control shots every three months. What else could it be?

When he finally reached the lounge and looked through the door, seeing Gabriella curled up on the couch with a mug in her hands. She was staring at the empty fireplace and she seemed to have been crying.

He opened the door, causing her to look at him in surprise. "Troy."

"Gabriella, what's wrong?" asked Troy, rushing over to her side. He watched as she frantically wiped at her eyes and put a smile on her face as if nothing was wrong.

"Nothing. Troy, you should go eat lunch with everybody else. Don't worry about me," said Gabriella.

"Don't give me that bull crap. Talk to me, please. You've been acting distant toward me." Troy stroked her face.

Gabriella looked at him then got up, putting her mug on the table. She went over to the window and looked out the people in the pool outside. She crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. "Troy…"

"Oh no," murmured Troy. He knew what was coming, but he never thought it would happen between them.

She turned to him, tears falling once again. "We can't do this. It would never work."

"What would never work? Us being together or us being together without Jason knowing?" asked Troy.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Troy. We just can't risk it. It's too dangerous and I don't want you to get hurt." Gabriella slid down against the wall, holding her face in her hands.

Troy walked over to her and sat next to her, putting his arm around her. "I don't give a fuck about Jason. He won't hurt you or me. He doesn't even matter. And if he tries to hurt you, he'll have to deal with me for the rest of his life."

"I can't do this anymore, Troy." Gabriella sniffled, looking up at him. "I love you too much to let you get hurt."

Troy looked at her and kissed her forehead. "Gabriella, if you love me, then don't let go of us."

Gabriella sighed shakily. "Troy…" She paused. "If this is the last time we can be together like this…"

"No, it won't be." Troy held her close.

Gabriella looked at him, touching his cheek. "Make love to me."

"Gabriella, I don't-"

She clutched onto his shirt, wanting to be as close to him as possible. "Please, Troy."

He looked at her and nodded, kissing her lips softly as she began unbuttoning his shirt. They both wondered if this would really be the last time they would be together like this.

* * *

><p>Later that night at closing, things were rather silent and desolate. People had noticed the change in Troy and Gabriella's mood since lunch. They kept trying to connect the pieces, but nobody really knew what was going on.<p>

As Troy walked out to the parking lot towards his car, he noticed movement in the distance. He squinted his eyes and saw two people struggling. It sounded like a man and a woman arguing. He got closer, trying to be quiet. He didn't know if it was dangerous or not. When he was close enough to make everything out visually, he noticed that the man and woman was Jason and Gabriella.

He ran towards them once he saw Jason assault her, causing her to fall to the ground. "Hey!"

Jason looked towards him and sneered. "Look who finally showed up."

Troy knelt down next to Gabriella, who was clutching her face and looking away from Jason in fear. She whispered to Troy. "He knows."

"Damn right, I know. I saw you two today in the lounge, fucking each other." He glared at Gabriella. "This little slut thinks she can do that to me?"

Troy stood up and faced Jason, pushing him backwards. "Don't you ever talk to her like that."

"I have every right. She's my girlfriend."

"The hell she is. She deserves better than you. She deserves me. I actually treat her with respect," said Troy. He pushed him harder, making sure he stayed away from Gabriella.

Gabriella watched them on the ground. "Guys, stop it."

"She doesn't deserve a pussy like you," said Jason, challenging him.

"You got that right," said Troy, eying Jason with disgust.

Suddenly, the fight that was bound to happen between the two was finally crossed. Jason punched Troy in the jaw, knocking him to the ground before he got on top of him and began punching him back and forth.

Gabriella rose up from the ground and landed on Jason back, locking her arms around his neck. She yelled curses at him, making him stop his abuse on Troy. He got up and grabbed Gabriella's arm, throwing her off of him and onto the ground. She winced as she landed on her back, knocking the wind out of her.

Troy got his opportunity to get up and knock Jason to the ground, performing his own punches on his face. He spit his blood in his face until he felt somebody grab him and drag him away. He struggled until he realized it was Mr. Fulton who was holding him back.

"Stop this monstrosity right now or I will call the cops on all three of you!"

Jason got up and lunged at Troy until Sharpay got in his way and pushed him back. "Get the hell off my property. Never come back here!"

He looked at Troy then at Gabriella, who was struggling to get up as Taylor helped her. He then looked back at Troy. "I'm not finished with you yet."

"Leave!" screamed Sharpay.

They watched as Jason got in his car and left the premises with a screech of his tires. Mr. Fulton let go of Troy, who watched as Sharpay shook her head. "Fulton, can you please take Troy inside and get the first aid?"

"Yes, ma'am." Mr. Fulton led Troy inside, not even bothering to let him check on Gabriella.

Sharpay helped Taylor get Gabriella up, leading her in the same direction that Mr. Fulton led Troy. When they got inside, they saw Troy being treated by Mr. Fulton. He had bruises on his cheeks, a cut on his lip, and a cut above his eyebrow. He looked up to see Gabriella, who was wincing in pain from falling on her back. She also had a red mark on her cheek from the slap and slight bruises on her arm.

He tried getting up, but Mr. Fulton held him down as he continued to treat his wounds. Sharpay looked at him. "Fulton, let's give them space."

He nodded and left with Sharpay and Taylor as Gabriella sat next to Troy on a barstool. She looked at him and turned towards him, wincing slightly. "Give me the first aid."

Troy handed her the kit and sucked in a breath as she began treating his wounds delicately. The alcohol stung his cuts and the light pressure still made his bruises sensitive. He opened his eyes and saw that she was silently crying.

"Hey, why are you crying?" asked Troy, cupping her cheeks.

Gabriella scoffed, shaking her head as she set the first aid kit on the counter. "Troy, look at you! You're a mess and it's all because of me!"

"This is not your fault. Jason is just a dick," said Troy. He kissed her forehead then looked back at her.

"I didn't expect him to find out," said Gabriella.

"What happened?" asked Troy.

"I wanted to talk to you so I waited for you by your car. Then I saw him drive up and I tried to run away, but he caught up with me and started arguing with me. He called me names and slapped me. Then you came in."

Troy gripped his fist tightly on his knee, getting angry. Gabriella sensed his anger and put her hands on his shoulders, kissing the top of his nose. "Calm down, Troy."

"Gabriella, I can't lose you. I can't let him have you. He can't keep treating you like this," pleaded Troy. He looked at her. "Stay with me. I can protect you. I would never hurt you."

"I know, Troy." Gabriella paused and sighed. "I told him, during the rift, that I can't be with him anymore."

Troy looked at her, shocked. "You did?"

"That's when he slapped me," said Gabriella.

Troy sighed and rubbed her back but pulled away when she winced once again at the pain. "Do you want to go to my house? I'll take care of you."

Gabriella nodded. "What about your face?"

"I have a first aid in my bathroom. And I might have something for your back, too." Troy got her down from the stool and gently led her back to the parking lot before putting her carefully into the car.

They needed each other.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>: I hope this chapter satisfied your needs. Sorry that it took so long for me to get it out. I'll work harder on getting my chapters out for all my stories. Review!


	10. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated to High School Musical. All that is written is purely fictitious._

_Summary: Troy and Gabriella are labeled as the king and queen of East High, yet they hate each other with a passion. What happens when one incident brings them together?_

* * *

><p>Troy watched Gabriella as she applied the last bandage to his cut above his bandage, gently applying pressure so it would stay. He rubbed her bended leg, letting her know that he appreciated what she was doing.<p>

They had decided to head back to his house after the unnecessary scuffle with Jason. They were both shaken up, but for different reasons. Gabriella was afraid that Jason would come back and hurt Troy. Troy was angry with Jason for hurting Gabriella and wanted to hurt him, beat him to a pulp. Though, he knew Gabriella didn't want that. So, he tried to stay calm whenever the memory of earlier resurfaced in his mind. He didn't want to upset Gabriella. The only thing he needed to focus on was keeping her safe.

Neither of them had heard about Jason since he left. It's as if he had disappeared or fled the country. He was never home, so his family wouldn't know anything. His friends didn't know, either. For both of their sakes, Troy and Gabriella hoped he would just stay away for good.

"Done," murmured Gabriella, tossing the trash in the bin next to Troy's bed. She got up from his bed and put the first aid kit back in the bathroom. She lifted up her t-shirt, respectively being Troy's, and gasped. "Oh my God."

"What?" Troy got up from his bed and followed her steps, stopping in front of her body to look at her bruised and battered back in the mirror. He clenched his fists and squeezed his eyes shut, trying hard to keep calm. But, it was difficult when he kept thinking that Jason was the one who put those bruises there. He hurt Gabriella.

Gabriella put down the shirt and looked up at him, putting her hands gently on his flexed, upper arms. "Troy, calm down. Don't do something that you're going to regret."

He looked at her and rubbed her shoulders lightly. "He hurt you. I can't just forget that."

"He can't hurt me right now."

"He won't hurt you _ever_! Gabriella, I can't just pretend like it's okay. Knowing that this bastard hurt you can't be ignored." He dropped his hands to his sides.

"I know, I know." Gabriella looked at him, trying to reason with him. "But, you can't hurt him. If you do anything drastic, you could be arrested. Especially if it's in public."

Troy sighed and walked out of the bathroom with Gabriella following him. She was lucky that her mom allowed her to stay over, though she thought it was with Taylor. She watched as Troy began taking off his jeans and t-shirt, leaving him clad in his boxers. She would have been easily turned on by the appearance, but she was only concerned about making sure that he didn't do anything stupid.

He looked over at her, knowing that she was watching him. "I'm not going to do anything."

"How can I be so sure?" asked Gabriella, shrugging her shoulders.

Troy narrowed his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows, looking shocked and upset at her. It was very foreign to Gabriella as she backed up a bit and winced at the expression. He hadn't given her that look since the last time that fought. "How can you say that? Don't you trust me?"

"You know I do, Troy. It's just-"

"No!" He ran a rough hand through his hair, rushing over to his closet. He began rifling through his clothes and began putting on a pair of sweats and a Wildcat t-shirt.

Gabriella watched him. "Troy, what are you doing?"

"Leaving. I can't be around you right now if you're gonna act like this," he said. He avoided her eyes as he walked out of the room. His parents weren't home, having left earlier in the day to visit his grandparents in North Albuquerque. They had no idea about the events from today.

Gabriella followed him briskly, not wanting him to leave without their argument being settled. "Troy, please stop." She touched his arm.

He turned around and drew back his arm. He had a look of pure frustration on his face. She was ultimately frightened, having flashbacks of her previous encounters with Jason. Without thinking about her words, she spoke in a whisper. "Don't hurt me."

Immediately, Troy's demeanor changed. He thought about the way he was acting and realized he was acting the same way as Jason. Appearing violent, frustrated, and angry at the girl he was with. It was for more different and for more serious because Troy was acting this way towards the girl he _loved_. He looked at her, his body heat dropping and being replaced with panic.

"Gabriella, I would never hurt you."

"I don't like how you're acting right now." Gabriella hugged herself, still visibly shaking.

Troy did the only thing he could do. He kissed her cheek and left somberly, needing some air and some space to collect his thoughts.

* * *

><p>Nearly thirty minutes later, Troy arrived at the basketball court located at the park. It was empty with a stray ball in the middle of the pavement. The basketball goal was dreadfully old, having dust and marks on the backboard. The net was nearly ripping off its rim.<p>

It looked just the same as it always did.

He walked over towards the court and grabbed the basketball, dribbling it to an echo on the pavement. He looked at the hoop and tossed it up, missing it entirely. He always missed shots when he was not focused. This was definitely a 'not focused' moment. All he could think about was how he had acted towards Gabriella. It was cruel and definitely not him. It was Jason's style to act like that.

"Look who it is."

* * *

><p>Gabriella looked at the clock by Troy's bed, noticing it had been at least 45 minutes since Troy left. Did he really need that much time to be alone?<p>

What if he broke up with her because he was scared he would hurt her?

She knew he would never do that to her. It wasn't him.

She needed to set things straight before it was too late. So, she grabbed a pair of Troy's basketball shorts and headed out the door and into Troy's footsteps, knowing exactly where he would go to blow off some steam and think.

* * *

><p>Troy looked at Jason and sighed, keeping his anger in check. Jason was not worth it and he wouldn't betray Gabriella's trust. "I don't want anymore trouble from you. Gabriella's deserves better than that."<p>

"I don't care about her anymore." Jason walked slowly towards him, anger seething through his veins.

"Like you ever did," murmured Troy, crossing his arms over his chest.

He scowled and stopped in his tracks, ten feet away from Troy's stance. "The only thing I care about right now is smashing your face into this pavement."

"Didn't you already try doing that today, man? You didn't exactly win the whole thing."

"Then why not settle the score right now? That's why I'm here." Jason lifted his arms up in gesture.

Troy sighed and shook his head. "I'm not going to fight you. I promised Gabriella."

"I don't give a shit about what you promised that tramp."

Suddenly, Troy felt the anger bubbling inside him, threatening to rise up. His mind was telling him to beat the shit out of him, but his heart was telling him to think about Gabriella. He was between a rock and a hard place.

Jason smirked. "Yeah, that gets you going, doesn't it? Talking about her like that?"

"I'm _not _going to fight you," said Troy, his voice rising.

Jason walked more towards him, but slowly. "Why would you want her anyway? You know, I don't even think she was ever my type. I don't typically fuck with girls like her."

Troy sneered, clenching his fists. _Don't fight him, Bolton. That's what he wants. Don't give him that satisfaction._

"Yeah, she was never that good in bed. Sometimes she would fall asleep, but that never stopped me. I always had to get my fill in some way, whether it was with her or some other girl."

At that moment, Troy was ready to bust his lip. But before he could race over to him, he heard a voice call his name. He looked over Jason's shoulder, who turned around at the same time, and spotted Gabriella looking at him with fear and curiosity.

"Gabriella?" Troy jogged over to her and furrowed his eyebrows. "What are you doing here?"

"I got worried," she whispered. She looked over at Jason, who had his arms crossed and was glaring at the two. "What is he doing here? How did he find you? Did you guys fight?"

"Nothing happened." He was relieved that she had found him. Now they could go home in peace. He rubbed her shoulders soothingly, noticing she was rubbing her own arms from the slight cold. "Let's go back home."

Jason strode up to Troy and turned him around, punching him square in the jaw and making him land on the ground. Gabriella immediately knelt next to him, trying to free him from his unconscious state. "Troy!"

"That was satisfying, but I change my mind. I'm not done with you yet." He watched as she stood up, hugging her body. He walked towards her, coming in close contact. He knelt down to her ear and stroked her neck, causing her to get chills down her spin. "I can make you feel good. You know that."

"You never did. All you did was abuse me and you know it," said Gabriella, finding her courage to stand up to him for the very first time.

Jason looked at her and glared at her, not happy that she had a backbone. "You're just a little bitch. You always have been."

"Jason."

He turned around, but was soon knocked to the ground by the blow from Troy's punch. Troy rubbed his jaw and moved it around. "That's gonna feel bad in the morning."

Gabriella looked at Troy and leaped into his arms, hugging him tightly. Even though she winced when Troy held her, she didn't care about her back pain. All she cared about was Troy. "Are you okay?"

Troy put her back on the ground and looked at her, nodding. "Yeah. I heard everything he said and I just couldn't take it anymore. Woozy or not, he needed to shut up."

They soon turned around to see a police car driving up, more than likely doing a late night patrol of the area. The officer got out of the car, holding out a flashlight that caught the couple off guard. Gabriella held onto Troy's waist for protection, not knowing what would happen next.

"What seems to be the problem here?" asked the officer, eying Jason who was just now struggling to stand up.

"Arrest this guy. He beat me to a pulp," said Jason, point at Troy with anger.

Troy shook his head. "You should arrest him if you knew of all the stuff he has done to us." He paused and looked at Gabriella. "And her."

The flashlight was directed at Gabriella, who squinted from the bright light. The officer waited for her to talk. "Miss?"

Gabriella glanced at Jason, who was inching closer to her in an attempt to pull her away from Troy's grasp. She held her grip around Troy tighter, hiding her face his chest to keep away from Jason. The officer looked at Jason and Gabriella curiously before turning off the flashlight. "Okay, you two should come with me." He looked at Troy. "You can come and wait for her."

"Why, what do you need her for?" asked Troy, rubbing Gabriella's shoulder.

He paused. "I'd like to question her about her supposed relationship with this man." He looked at Jason, who was completely dumbfounded and upset.

They watched as the officer lead Jason to the vehicle. Gabriella looked up at Troy with worried eyes. "Troy, I don't think I can do this."

"Yes you can. Just tell them everything and we'll never have to deal with Jason again," said Troy, leading her to the car.

It was going to be over once and for all.

* * *

><p>About two hours later, Troy and Gabriella were dropped off by the police officer at the Bolton house. They said their goodbyes and went inside, heading straight for Troy's bedroom. Gabriella had been silent the entire ride. Troy was watching her carefully, making sure nothing bad had happened inside the building.<p>

He took off his sweats and watched as she got under the covers and held a pillow to her body. He got in bed next to her and kissed her cheek, putting his arm around her waist. "What happened?"

She sighed and rolled over, drawing imaginary shapes on his bare chest. "Well, I was taken into a room with a few officers. They had notepads and were very serious. I got intimidated. But, the first thing they asked me was about my relationship with Jason. They wanted to know what _type _of relationship. I told them that he was my ex-boyfriend. After that, they just wanted to know the full story of our relationship."

"And?" Troy brushed a stray curl out of her hair.

"I told them everything. I just thought of what you would want me to do in the situation an just told them everything." She bit her lip.

"So, what happened with Jason?"

"He has to stay as far away from as humanly possible. He's going to be taken out of Albuquerque and placed to live with his aunt and uncle in California." She looked at Troy. "He's gone."

Troy nuzzled his nose to hers and smiled. "I'm so proud of you."

"I just want it to be you and me," whispered Gabriella. She put her hands behind his neck, clasping her fingers together as their foreheads joined.

"It will be forever. We have the rest of the summer and the rest of our lives, baby." Troy kissed her softly.

Gabriella smiled at him and nodded as she returned his kiss, allowing him to hold her close and take her all.

She felt at one and at peace with everything around her.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>: The last chapter will be an epilogue. Expect that to come around in about a week or so.


	11. Epilogue

_Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated to High School Musical. All that is written is purely fictitious._

_Summary: Troy and Gabriella are labeled as the king and queen of East High, yet they hate each other with a passion. What happens when one incident brings them together?_

* * *

><p><strong>-11 months later-<strong>

_Troy slammed Jason into the brick wall, clutching his shirt collar with both of his hands. His knuckles were pure white as he channeled all his anger, energy, and strength on the one man that he wanted to kill at that very moment. He was shooting his icy, blue eyes at his calm pupils and all he was thinking about was Gabriella._

_He had been walking to the local diner to have his usual cheeseburger and Coke, like he always did every Wednesday evening. When he had gotten towards the entrance, he had spotted Gabriella's new boyfriend, Jason, talking with a redhead._

_He and Gabriella were best friends, but he wasn't exactly crazy about her new boyfriend. He had always heard that he had the worst reputation. He was a cheater and, allegedly, an abuser. But if Gabriella was happy, then so be it._

_But, this didn't look right. _

_Jason seemed to be KISSING this girl and groping her body, though it was apparent she wasn't enjoying it that much. When she was finally able to walk away, Troy rushed over to Jason and glared at him angrily._

"_What the hell was that?" asked Troy._

_Jason chuckled, wiping his mouth. "Getting some action. What's it to you?"_

"_You're dating Gabriella and she is my best friend. You're cheating on her," growled Troy. His anger was rising. _

"_It wouldn't be the first time," said Jason._

_Troy furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"_

"_Gabriella's hot, but she's not worth anything long term." Jason shook his head like what he had done was hilarious._

"_Not worth anything? Gabriella's worth the world. How can you even think that about her?" Troy knew he may have been revealing too much, but he didn't care. _

_Jason smirked and crossed his arms. "Sounds to me like you're jealous of what we have."_

"_Jealous?" Troy chuckled. "Fat chance on that, pal. You don't treat her right at all. And, I have proof right now."_

"_She won't believe you. She's in love with me. She's in too deep already. I have complete control."_

"_You don't love her," said Troy._

"_Oh, and you do?"_

_Troy paused and nodded. "I do. I've loved her for a long time and you don't deserve her."_

"_Why would you love somebody like her, somebody that is so easy to take advantage of?"_

_And here he was, holding Jason against the wall of the diner with pure anger. He was tired of Jason pushing Gabriella around and it needed to stop. Before he could get one punch in, he heard a sound. _

"_Troy?"_

_Gabriella looked at Troy with shock, anger, and hurt. Had he really just said what he just said? It couldn't be true. Could it?_

_"Gabby…" Troy looked at her, breathing heavily out of exasperation and diminishing anger. Every time he was angry or out of control, just one look at her would calm him down._

_But, Gabriella ran away. She couldn't handle this right now. Not after what she just witnessed from beginning to end._

_The last thing Troy saw before he ran after her was the drop of a tear to the ground._

* * *

><p><em>Later that evening, Gabriella was sitting in her bed, contemplating over everything that had just happened earlier. Why did Troy say that? Was it true? Why was he beating up Jason?<em>

_She sighed and shook her head, placing her forehead on her knees. She sat up when she heard a noise outside. She gasped when she turned her head and spotted Troy on her balcony. _

_Why was he here?_

_She got up and opened the balcony door, not saying a word. She simply stared at Troy, not sure what to say at the moment. She had just heard the biggest confession, one that she didn't have a clue about. _

_She walked over to her bed and sat down, suddenly not wanting to be near him. She was scared. She didn't know if she liked his confession or not. It would ruin everything. But, it was something that she had dreamed about before, hearing him say those words._

"_Gabriella, look at me." He was breathing hard._

_"Troy, what are you doing here?" asked Gabriella, standing up from her bed. She wasn't in the mood to talk to him after what she had seen._

_Troy quickly walked over to her without a single breath or hesitation and kissed her. He was expecting her to pull back, but to his surprise she did the exact opposite._

_She became frisky, even. She tugged at his shirt, making the edges wrinkly. He knew she wanted him._

_And he wanted her, too._

_It was nuts. Emotions kept changing from confusion, anger, regret, and passion. But at that moment, all those emotions ran out. _

_She looked up at him and tore off her t-shirt to reveal her black bra that barely held her breasts. She wanted to drive him crazy. She had wanted him for so long; ever since she fell for him. She never had this opportunity because of Jason._

_Troy looked at her and rubbed the pad of his thumb under her bra, reaching to her peaked nipple. She bit her lip and tossed her head back, gripping her fingers at his jeans._

_They wanted each other so much that they couldn't stand it._

_Through the night, they made love. Several rounds existed through their love-making and they were soon worn out, under the covers of her bed. He was holding her as she stroked his chest with her finger. _

_What had just happened?_

_Gabriella cheated on Jason with Troy. Her best friend. _

_But did she really care? Did she regret it?_

_She had no idea. Her mind was too jumbled with thoughts and emotions. She didn't know what to do. But, she needed answers._

"_Troy, why did you say that?"_

"_Say what?" asked Troy, stroking her hair gently._

"_You know what I'm talking about," said Gabriella, looking up at Troy. _

_Troy sighed and got up, leaving Gabriella in bed as he began putting on his clothes. He wasn't ready to talk about this with her._

_But she was. "Troy, stop. You can't run away from this. I know what you said and I want to know why." She got up and began putting on her clothes, never taking her eyes off of him._

_Once he had his clothes on, he looked at her. "Gabriella, you know why I said it. It's obvious how I feel about you."_

_Gabriella stood up and crossed her arms over her chest, looking anywhere but at Troy. "But, why did you tell Jason that big secret? Why didn't you tell me?"_

"_You have a boyfriend, Gabriella. And, not a very good one."_

_She looked at him, furrowing her eyebrows. "Excuse me?"_

"_Come on, Gabriella. You should know how he acts. You deserve better."_

"_What makes you think you can say that about Jason? He loves me and I love him," said Gabriella, walking over to him._

"_Bullshit. You know what I saw when I was walking over there? I saw him making out with a redhead and groping her."_

_Gabriella was speechless that Troy was beginning to think that she would either cry on his shoulder or start denying. Unfortunately, she did the one thing he didn't want her to do._

"_Get out," growled Gabriella._

_Troy went wide-eyed. "Gabby…"_

"_Don't call me that!" Gabriella pushed him backwards, angry at him as she started breathing heavily. She ran her hands through her hair roughly._

"_Gabriella, come on! You should believe me! I'm your best friend." He watched as she headed towards the balcony doors. "Gabby!"_

_"Troy, just leave me alone." said an exasperated Gabriella._

_Troy tried to catch up with her, grabbing her elbow. "Gabriella, listen to me!"_

_"No!" Gabriella turned around with tears in her eyes, though they weren't heavy. "Troy…I don't need you in my life. Just go away."_

_He looked at her, stunned. Why was this happening? "You don't mean that."_

"_Yes I do, Troy." She looked at him. "I never want to see you, talk you, or even have you in this house again." She opened the balcony doors. "Leave me alone. Forever."_

_Troy had no choice but to leave, leaving behind Gabriella and the love he had for her._

* * *

><p>Gabriella felt a nudge next to her and turned her head, looking at Troy. He was sitting next to her as part of the honor graduates of East High. There weren't that many in the senior class, but Troy and Gabriella were the lucky few.<p>

"They're calling you up for your valedictorian speech," whispered Troy. He squeezed her graduation gown-clad knee for support, smiling.

She nodded and smiled, getting up from her seat and walking up to the podium in her red and white gown. Her graduation cap fit on her long curls as her tassel swung lightly with her movement.

Troy watched her and smiled, wondering what she had been so deep in thought about. She was lucky she didn't miss going up for her speech.

Everybody was finally graduating today. It only seemed like yesterday that they had started their senior year. It had been one crazy summer, that's for sure.

After the incident with Jason, he was never seen by the gang again. That next day, Troy and Gabriella had met up with everybody to tell them what had been going on for the past couple of weeks and what had happened to cause Troy and Gabriella to break up their friendship. The gang was shocked, but happy that things were better with everybody.

Obviously, the two were still together. They had gotten through senior year with their friends, took their senior pictures, gone to prom, and passed their exams with flying colors. Now here they were, sitting outside on the football field at their graduation.

Troy watched as Gabriella began her speech, smiling at the crowd before her. He hoped she wouldn't get too nervous. She had a slight fear of talking in front of crowds.

"Fellow graduates, faculty, and parents. You've had your time at your graduation; walking up to the podium to share your speech and/or getting your diploma. You had those butterflies in your stomach, both from excitement and fear. You were entering the real world and you were about to be on your own. Well, you've entered the real world as our parents and our teachers. You were there to teach us the life lessons that you had learned. Now, it's our turn to pass down what you gave us. It's time for us to enter the real world."

She giggled a bit, taking a breath. "We would be lying if we said we were scared out of our minds. We don't know what's going to happen in the real world. Are we going to go into the army? Will we get married at a young age? Will we have a family in a few years? Will be the president? These are questions that we have been asking ourselves since we entered the doors of East High four years ago. It's unbelievable that it's finally time to have those answers right now. But, if I had to speak for the class of 2008 right now, I'm sure the answer would still not be in our minds just yet."

"We've had a lot of surprises during our time here. Some that we never thought could happen to us. Some of us may have met new people or fell in love." She looked at Troy and winked at him, causing him to smile at her. She looked back at the crowd. "Of course, most of us are scared to lose friends after high school. But, we might be surprised. That's what our journey has pretty much been about. We've had surprises; some good and some bad. But, they've brought us to this moment right here. Everything happens for a reason so we should take it in stride."

She paused. "The only advice I can give you is to keep taking those surprises as they come. You never know where they might lead you. Thank you."

The class and crowd behind her cheered as she giggled and walked off the steps and back into her seat. She blushed as the cheering continued, smiling as Troy kissed her cheek and held her hand.

Nearly 45 minutes later, the last senior was called. After all the diplomas had been given out and every senior was in their seats, it was time for the closing statement.

Principal Matsui stood at the podium proudly. "By the city of Albuquerque and the state of New Mexico, I proudly recognize you seniors as the graduating class of 2008!"

The seniors cheered out loud, throwing their hats into the air as their parents congratulated them from the stands. They were finally graduates of East High. Friends hugged each other and began weaving through the crowd to find other friends and take pictures.

Troy picked up Gabriella and spun her around, kissing her sweetly on the lips. He laughed and hugged her tightly as others began bumping into them. He looked at her, keeping his smile.

"I'm so proud of you. Your speech was amazing."

Gabriella giggled. "Thanks, baby."

"By the way, what were you so deep in thought about?" asked Troy, picking up their diplomas and hats.

She looked down. "I was thinking about the time when we ended our friendship. I was just amazed at how far we had come since then."

Troy smiled and held her close. "It's always going to be you and me. Well, at least for the summer."

"Actually, it will be you and me." She smiled. "I've decided to go to U of A."

He looked at her, confused. "I thought you were going to Stanford."

"I can get the same pre-law education at U of A. I get a once in a lifetime chance to be with you, though. I can have both."

Troy smiled and kissed her again, chuckling as their friends nearly ran them over.

Chad hugged Gabriella then looked at Troy as Taylor and Sharpay began talking animatedly with Gabriella.

"Hoops tomorrow?" asked Chad.

"Definitely. Maybe we can all go for a bite to eat at the mall or something?"

Sharpay grinned. "I have a better idea. Why don't we all go to my parents' lake house this summer? I have the use of the key."

"Sharpay, are you sure?" asked Taylor.

"We need one last adventure together before we go off to college. We haven't had an adventure since spring break." Sharpay smiled. "What do you say? Meet tomorrow to discuss details?"

"Hell yeah!" yelled Zeke, kissing Sharpay's forehead.

Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled. "Ready for the summer?"

"I'm ready for anything with you," said Gabriella, smiling up at him.

He looked at her, holding her close. "I love you."

"I love you too," said Gabriella, kissing him on the lips as the field began slowly departing.

Things were finally in place for them and they were definitely ready to take the world on, standing next to each other the entire time.

_The End_


	12. Author's Note

Big news! If you haven't already noticed already, there is a new story up on my page and, for you _Fighting Fire_ fans, I hope you'll enjoy it as much as you enjoyed this story. Let me know what you think (:

-VanessaAnnex3


	13. ATTENTION!

I am FULLY aware that this is not a new chapter, but I have MAJOR news!

My very first e-book is NOW AVAILABLE at the affordable price of $2.99!

Here is the description:

* * *

><p><em>Roman and Ella are in love, striving in a beautiful relationship. But, when she breaks his heart and moves away, he struggles with continuing through life as himself. <em>

_Just when he thinks his life has no meaning anymore, he sees her three months later._

_Yet, she doesn't remember anything about him or her life._

_Roman struggles to make her remember, causing his life to go into a whirlwind of events. He is suddenly pursued by God to make the right changes in his life and with Ella._

_Follow Roman's journey in the past as he relives the first few months of his relationship and strives to keep his relationship with Ella intact. Even if it means risking his own life in the process._

* * *

><p>The story's title is "Fate". The chapters do go into detail, but they are not long chapters. Though, there are a lot of chapters. There is romance, drama, suspense, and family issues.<p>

I have worked months and months on this story and I am so proud that it is finally finished. This is only the beginning. Also, there is a special thank you to my readers on Fanfiction. This is all for you guys. Thank you so much for being there for me! (:

books/view/344239


	14. Author's Note!

**Author's Note**

In case some of you have not seen my latest blog post on my website, I have some news. Once "For The Love of Rivalry" and "Wildcat Fever" are over, I will be taking a hiatus from Fanfiction. During this time, I will be working and writing and promoting. I'll also be busy with school earning my Bachelor's degree for Creative Writing-Fiction. Also, I will be writing season two of "Wildcat Fever" so it can be ready by early spring.

And, also! I will be promoting "At First Sight". During this time, it will be ready for self-publication as paperback and hardcover in major retail bookstores across the globe. An example includes Barnes and Noble. I will be setting up book signings and fan meetings. Contests will be going on as well. I'm more than welcome to any suggestions of where you want me to go! Florida, California, United Kingdom. I want to meet all of my readers around the world.

Again, don't freak out about the hiatus. It won't be long. I'll come back with even more epic love stories between Troy and Gabriella.

xoxo


	15. Surprise!

One more author's note for this week!

Tomorrow, DECEMBER 13th, 2013, I will be presenting a new surprise for all of my readers from around the world. I will present it on my Twitter, heathertodd23!

If you are interested in knowing what this is, then make sure to keep track of my Twitter for the surprise announcement! This surprise is going to give us so many opportunities to interact more with each other!

I am so excited to announce this with all of you!

A new chapter of "Wildcat Fever" will debut tomorrow night as well! Saturday, a new chapter of "For The Love of Rivalry".

xoxo


	16. Surprise Surprise!

Here is the surprise!

Send me letters, jokes, or anything that you want! This P.O. Box will even be for me to send prizes to you guys! I am so excited to have this option with my readers! I can't wait to see what I may find one day!

P.O. Box 1327 North Wilkesboro, NC 28659

I love you guys!

xoxo


	17. CONTEST!

Contest time! One lucky reader will win a signed book from my bookshelf, a handwritten letter, a signed copy of the cover of my book, and a signed copy of the Dean and Lola meme that you see on my header. I will choose the winner on January 1st, in honor of celebrating 2014 as being our best year to come. May the lucky winner win!  
>Check out my website .com for more details!<p>

xoxo


	18. Final Author's Note

To my wonderful readers,

We are reaching that inevitable moment...or moments, I should say. Next week, we will be reaching the end of "Wildcat Fever: Season One" and "For The Love of Rivalry". This will also mark the beginning of my hiatus from Fanfiction until the spring.

I want to be honest with all of you before 2014 begins for us.

I do get scared sometimes that, during this hiatus, I might lose some of my readers because they would get tired of waiting. It's probably a natural fear for all writers.

My fears seem to extend into something greater.

I want to be honest with you guys about something else that has been going on with me for quite some time. A few years, actually.

I am that kind of person who lets anxiety hit her like it's a light switch. With me, that anxiety is linked to my depression that I have been battling off and on for nearly four years now. I haven't been taking medication for a long time, lately. But, in order to make sure I stay the happy person that I always used to be and that I should be, I will be taking medication again to make sure I don't stick to a bitter personality because of it all.

Sometimes when the attacks hit me head on, which can happen occasionally, I will just burst into tears because it scares me. It turns me into this person that I don't like and I don't need to be that person when I have you guys to look forward to meeting and a family that loves me a lot.

So, during my hiatus, I will keep in touch with you guys on my Twitter, Facebook, and through my P.O. Box. Again with that P.O. Box, if you ever want to just talk or tell me even one sentence, I will gladly accept it and even reply. Also, the contest is still going on. That prize package includes one signed book from my shelf, a handwritten letter, a signed cover, and a signed character picture from my book "At First Sight". The contest ends January 1, 2014.

You guys are very, very important to me. I want to always be honest with you and same with you guys. That's important in an author-reader relationship. Honesty. Just like you guys are here for me, I am always here for you guys if you ever want to talk. Whether it be through paper or online.

We're a family and 2014 is the start of a beautiful journey for us.

Next Friday and next Saturday will be the finale! I won't disappoint you.

xoxo


	19. My Return

I miss my Fanfiction readers, but of course we are always close by heart!

Good news for you and me!

I have set my return date, or should I say dates.

March 5th(Wednesday) will be my return with the Troyella story titled "The Great Beyond". March 6th(Thursday) will be "Wildcat Fever: Season Two". March 7th(Friday) will be the Troyella story titled "Baby Steps". And, on March 8th(Saturday), the Peter Pan story "Take Me To The Stars" will debut.

Four stories!

I'm already preparing the stories so, when they debut, all will be written and ready so there won't be any delay for the chapter to get out on their respective days. I figured that would be easier, especially for me when I will still be doing school.

I'm so excited for this return and I can promise you that these stories will blow your minds...in a good way. They will be longer chapters, more detailed, and more dramatic but still romantic. Especially the second season of "Wildcat Fever". I have major plans for that.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me or get at me on Twitter!

See you then!

xoxo


	20. In case you were't aware

**To my faithful readers:**

In case you are not aware yet, all three stories are now in progress with chapter one; _The Great Beyond, Wildcat Fever: Season Two, _and _Baby Steps_. They have all been updated with their respective chapter one and is ready to be viewed! And, remember:

_The Great Beyond_: EVERY WEDNESDAY!

_Wildcat Fever: Season Two_: EVERY THURSDAY!

_Baby Steps: _EVERY FRIDAY!

I can definitely promise you a lot of Troyella, major drama, and surprises to come.

On another note, if you are going to be in New York City or are planning to go, look for me at the Book Expo America May29th-31st! I'll be there with my first novel _At First Sight_ and will also be doing autograph signings! I hope to meet you guys there!


	21. AUTHOR'S NOTE: BIG MOVE!

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE FOR ALL READERS!**

I have enjoyed using Fanfiction for these five years and I feel it is time to explore new ventures while still continuing to write about Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez.

So, all further works will now be posted to WattPad, which is available on the computer AND smartphones (Androids and iPhones).

Do not take this as bad news. I am NOT leaving my Fanfiction work behind. I am eager to explore bigger audiences and to continue what I love to do.

I really love you guys and would really feel grateful and happy if you continued to stay with me on this journey. I can promise you more love with Troyella, drama, and (for the first time) fantasy and supernatural experiences with the beautiful couple.

Now, these new stories will still be debuting in August as listed on my profile page. I will post the link in my profile page for you.

As for my current stories, please be patient as things have been very busy lately. These stories will still be updated with their (current) needed chapters.

PS: The app for phones is FREE to download. You can either log in with Facebook or create a new log in.


	22. Answers To Your Questions

To my readers:

I know some of you are confused right now as to what is going to happen to "Baby Steps" and "The Great Beyond".

These stories will finish on Fanfiction, not Wattpad. In order to catch you guys up properly and in the best way possible, I will be posting one chapter this weekend to each story that will do it justice. Basically, I will combine all the needed chapters into one big chapter without it looking like a complete mess.

Right now, the new stories are still scheduled to premiere on Wattpad on their assigned dates.

For "Wildcat Fever", I will work on getting seasons 1 and 2 on Wattpad so season 3 won't be the only version on Wattpad.

Please feel free to PM if you have any more questions. I am more than happy to answer them.

I am NOT leaving Fanfiction behind. I am simply transferring to another website in order to gain a bigger audience for my work.

I hope you guys follow me on this journey as you have been for the past few years.

Xoxo


End file.
